


Pomegranate Seeds

by psychicpeeb



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Depression, Discovery, Eventual Smut, Exploration, F/M, Forbidden Love, Healing, Love, Mental Illness, Sex, Takes place after episode 105, Violence, overcoming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23657545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicpeeb/pseuds/psychicpeeb
Summary: Hades struggles with the demands of being king of the Underworld, as well as a developing relationship with Persephone. When hate, hurt, and anger consume her, his only request is her trust in him. What will happen when Hades must help the Goddess of Spring unleash her true potential and seek vengeance on her worst enemy? Will her strength bring her to power?(This story takes place after Episode 105.  I thought it was a great place to start. Be patient, as this is a work in progress and will definitely grow and develop over time.)
Relationships: Amphitrite/Poseidon (Lore Olympus), Eros/Psyche (Lore Olympus), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus), Hera/Zeus (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

The smell of exhaust and city smog, surprisingly, was a refreshing contrast to the suffocating air of Minthe’s apartment.

After months of putting up with her tactics— the manipulation, the crude words that wounded him deeply— he walked a little bit taller, knowing his feelings of obligation to her had vanished. The human part of him, at least what he believed to be his softest side, hated the sight of her tears. Yet, within the span of one conversation, he forgot about her suffering, her tangled hair and mess of makeup, her desire to feel wanted just like any other being. Any guilt, any remorse for his decisions was immediately seized as her last words followed him like a ghost out the door.

_“She’ll see you for what you are soon enough, Hades. You’ll always stink of death.”_

Hades’ head spun indefinitely as he leaned against the cool leather steering wheel. His heartbeat still pounded in his ears like a drum, murmuring and lulling every few pulses. It was as if a weight pulled by Helios himself was lifted from his shoulders, yet his body sagged with exhaustion from such a hostile encounter. And though the king of the underworld wasn’t known to be rattled by things, he proceeded to shake with emotion. Was it anger? Was it happiness? Or was it fear of what would come next? 

After a few minutes of allowing himself to calm down, Hades pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen, immediately being bombarded with notifications. Many of them, about 9 or ten, were from Minthe, who already began overwhelming his messages with curses and pleads and ‘I’m sorry’s”. Hades snorted, believing this to be hypocritical, but then reminded himself who he was dealing with. Scrolling through apps was always therapeutic for the king, and he found himself beginning to feel more grounded. Minthe’s angry, tortured expression faded from sight. He was finally feeling his mind clear of any thoughts until he stopped to stare at one notification. And just like that, his heart began to race once again. 

His screen lit up with a photo that had just been uploaded to Fatesbook. It was Eros’s, who, as of recently, became a mutual friend of Hades on the website. However, Eros was not the subject of the photo. Big, bright eyes gazed up at the camera, full of surprise and what looked like a bit of confusion. Persephone’s eyes. Hades groaned at his screen. That pink, plump skin that absolutely tortured Hades stood out against the muted yellow wall in the background, and what looked like confetti hung in the air around her. Even though she looked a bit concerned, a sweet, crooked smile was still plastered on her lips. The caption was a jumble of emojis, exclamation points, and capital letters:

**‘WANTED TO CELEBRATE THIS CINNAMON ROLL!!! *heart* *heart* *kiss*’**

Hades leaned back against the car seat and shoved his fingers through his silvery hair. Suddenly, it was as if Eros had taken an arrow to the center of his chest. So many thoughts filled his brain that he found himself struggling to focus on one. As his eyes went to the cigarette in his other hand, he thought of her eyes, and he thought of the fire they held when they looked into his. They were kind, full of compassion, but they never looked away when she was challenged. Steadfastness— a fearlessness— defined her wild gaze. A deep ache rose in his stomach.

Soon, his mind wandered to deeper, darker places. Places he scolded himself for.

_Should I text her? Just to say hello? What would she think if I called her? No, she’ll tell me I’m not respecting our boundaries. She’ll think I’m an old pervert. Damn it._

He hesitated. He tapped on his messages app, scrolling down to her name.

_Fuck it. No harm in checking in… Right?_

Hades went to work. When he finished, his draft was overly revised and formal. He knew it was the right thing, as he was a king and she personally asked him to keep a professional relationship; but he felt like it was so wrong, so strained, never right. He read it over once more.

**Hades: Hello, Kore. I hope you are doing well, and I hope your birthday this year was a good one. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Best regards.**

Sent.

With a deep, conscious inhale, he took a long drag from his cigarette.

“Cerberus,” he grunted, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. At the mention of his name, the mutt shoved his nose into the front seat to look at his owner, tongue hanging from his mouth. His eyes were sleepy and heavy, and he let out a huff of annoyance. “You need a drink, boy?”

Without warning, a tiny little head peeked out from beside him. Meli, sweet little golden Meli, looked up at him with adoring eyes, panting quietly as her tail wagged. He laughed out loud to himself.

“You too, huh?”

  
  


Hades took one last drag and flicked the cigarette into the ether before it touched the ground. He thought of her, and how she would’ve scolded him for littering, so he forced himself into the new habit. With a turn of his key, the car engine roared to life, and a sense of freedom washed over him. 

“Yeah,” Hades shifted gears, “Me three.” He leaned back and started off, watching as Minthe’s apartment, symbolic of a pain long engraved into his memory, disappeared into the dark.

**_~~ (Hours later)_ **

An empty bottle of whiskey sat on Hades’ desk as he scrolled absently through his emails. Unopened private messages from clients, business memos, and schedule requests had flooded his inbox in a matter of days. His mind was drowned in alcohol and muted stress, stress he would feel more clearly in the morning. A loud hiccup escaped from his mouth, and he thanked the gods no one was there to witness it.

“I’ve gotten myself into a mess, haven’t I?” There was no answer. He swiveled to face the corner, where Cerberus, Meli, and the rest of the pack were stacked into a pile, snoozing away. He couldn’t control the laugh that came out of him. He was far too intoxicated to keep a grip on himself like he usually would. Instead, he sat slouched in his chair, shirt unbuttoned, hair tousled, consumed by the life and responsibilities he neglected in the past week. 

How could he be so unlucky? And how did he manage to always get himself into these situations? The thought of returning to normal life the next morning made him want to crawl down into Tartarus and never return. He knew his drinking habits were not normal, that he was a borderline alcoholic. But what else could he do to comfort himself? He had no one to turn to, no one to heal his wounds and take the stress away. Instead, he now had an ex who couldn’t care less if he lived or not. The only one who seemed to really care was her. Persephone.

“She doesn’t want to get too close,” he said aloud to himself. Meli whimpered and padded over to Hades’ feet, looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. He scooped up the pup and held her at eye-level. “Am I a fool? She never even responded to my text from earlier.” Meli’s tongue fell out of her mouth. Hades smiled and planted a kiss on her wet nose. “At least _you_ like me.”

He rose from his desk and stumbled over to the large window of his study. Leaning against the glass, he let his eyes wander over the shadows of buildings, illuminated by the white-yellow light in their windows. Buildings filled with beings from all realms, Olympus and beyond, all working towards goals big and small. Evening traffic clogged the streets and created a sense of liveliness. People with families, friends, lovers. It was a well-oiled machine. A whole world, which he supposedly ruled over as a supreme. Yet, especially now, he’d never felt so distant and separated from it all. What was _his_ goal? What was there to work for?

He checked his phone again, but none of the notifications drew his attention or fulfilled his desire, which was her. Yes, he admitted it now, drunk and besides himself. He didn’t know where his relationship with Persephone would go, or whether it would go anywhere at all. But he hoped so badly for a change, a big step in some direction, any excuse to be with her in any way he could. As he raised the glass to his lips, her face blurred his thoughts. Eyes, hair, face, skin, glowing bright with innocence and curiosity. Then he looked at his own reflection in the glass. All of the pain and age and weight of the world darkened his appearance like ichor, a shadow he couldn’t escape.

_Who am I kidding?_

He slid up into his messages again and looked at his unread text. He figured nothing could hold him back now, and there was nothing to lose. His fingers went to work, slowly spelling out each word.

**Hades: I feel like I’ve crossed a line, and I’m sorry. I know you’re going through a lot right now, and I want to respect your comfort zone. I just wish I could make this all different. I just need a friend.**

  
_Sent._


	2. Chapter 2

“Artemis!”

Persephone fumbled with the drawers of her baby pink vanity, digging through her collection of hair accessories. Her fingers landed on something unusual, an odd shape, and she perked up in confusion. After retrieving it, she nearly gasped aloud. She cupped her hand around her mouth.

“ARTEMIS!” she yelled, slamming the drawer shut. “COME HERE!” There was silence, signifying Artemis had stopped moving in the room over. Persephone bit her lip sheepishly. “P-please?” 

A few moments later, the door burst open, revealing a disheveled Artemis, bare-faced and still in her purple pajama set.

“For the love of Zeus, Persephone,” she grumbled, walking into the cutesy room. “I’m gonna kill you if this isn’t—“ She stopped abruptly. Her eyes fixed on the object in Persephone’s petite hand, and they lit up with surprise. “Is that—?”

Persephone nodded eagerly. “It’s the barrette my mom gave me when I moved to Olympus!” She trailed her eyes over it fondly. Large, silvery-pink pearls decorated the center of the barrette, with smaller pearls gradiently shrinking towards the edge.

“It’s beautiful…” Artemis stepped closer and slid a finger over the pearls, a look of wonder still glued to her face.

“Mom said it would come in handy someday,” Persephone chirped. Without another word, she slid the barrette into her pink locks and clipped it shut. She looked into the vanity’s mirror. Her hair, adorned by the clip, seemed to shine brighter than usual. It was elaborate, but she figured she could dress up a little more to match it.

Artemis nodded in approval. “I’m actually glad you called me in here. I’ll be borrowing that in the future.”

Persephone smiled and opened her mouth to respond, but as she stared longer into her reflection, the words slipped away. Her mind wandered elsewhere, to gardens stuffed with vegetables, flowers and fruit trees, to wide open fields painted green and gold. To the kind face of her mother, and the warmth from her hand, wrapped around Persephone’s, as they strolled through groves of flora and fauna unknown. Finally, she spoke.

“Artemis, I miss her. I miss mom.” Artemis squeezed Persephone’s shoulder and smiled sheepishly at her.

“I know you do,” she replied, rubbing up and down her arm.

“But I don’t want to go back.”

“I think that’s your only option, Pers. She would never agree to come to Olympus for a ‘visit.’ She would want you to go to her, to the mortal realm.”

Persephone rolled her eyes. She spun back around to look in the mirror; Grey sweatpants hung loosely on her hips, showing her belly button and midriff. Her bright eyes were lined with a smokey eyeliner, with mascara to finish it off. While at Olympus, Eros had convinced her to get her ears pierced, with another one in her cartilage. What seemed fairly normal to most would be preposterous to Demeter. She would immediately jump to conclusions. She would think Persephone was friends with ‘the wrong people’, or that she’d gone mad, or that she was prostituting herself off to men.

_God, if she knew about Hades, she would never let that one go._

“I don’t know,” she finally said, “I’d have to think about it. I think… I think I would want someone to come with me.” Artemis stretches her lips into an exaggerated grin, eyes wide.

“You know I love your mom, but she’s crazy sometimes.” She patted Persephone’s shoulder patronizingly. “I’ll have to politely decline that opportunity.”

Persephone sighed. She pulled the ornate clip from her hair and glided over to place it on her dresser. The sight of it brought her new ideas, ideas for outfits and color schemes. 

“What should I wear tomorrow?” Persephone asked suddenly, racing over to her closet.

“For what?”

“It’s my first day as an intern! Artemis!”

“Oh,” Artemis moaned, “ _Please_ forgive me. Did you forget that I _just_ woke up from a nap?” Persephone shook her head teasingly and brushed her hand over the assortment of fabrics and clothes neatly tucked into her closet. 

“I want to look professional and mature. Please help me?” 

Artemis scowled, her eyes heavy with sleep. She shoved a hand through her hair and finally sighed with defeat. With a huff, she plopped down onto the edge of Persephone’s bed. “Why can’t we do this tomorrow? On your actual first day?” she asked.

Persephone ignored her questions and continued to graze over her options. She began to realize just how much white she wore on a daily basis. Sure, it was for TGOEM, but she craved variety. She pulled a form-fitting off-white dress from the rack and held it out in front of her.

“Hmm...?” Persephone chimed, presenting it to her friend. Artemis looked it over in thought.

“It looks like it’d be a bit tight,” Artemis replied.

“Is that bad?”

“No, but you might get some attention from your coworkers.”

_Or my boss,_ Persephone thought to herself. She made a noise to herself and, finally, hung it back up. She searched some more, finally landing on a silver-spun babydoll-style dress. She held it out.

“Ooh, I love that one,” Artemis purred. “You always look nice in that one.”

Persephone smiled shyly, still unconvinced.

“I’m just… a little bit tired of white.” 

Artemis’ eyes narrowed at Persephone, studying her. She crossed her arms over her frilly pajamas and tilted her chin up in question. Before she could respond, Persephone jumped to speak.

“I know—! I know what you’re thinking. And I know it’s important to the maidenhood, but—“ she threw her hands up, unable to find the words. “I just want something different, I guess.” Artemis pondered it for a while, looking around the room in thought. Finally, she met Persephone’s gaze again.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose you can borrow one of my dresses.” Persephone gasped and did a little hop, covering her smile with her hands.

The pink goddess followed her friend into her room, dimly lit with candles floating through the air. The smell of essential oils-- lemongrass, eucalyptus, and peppermint-- all invaded Persephone’s nose at once. Artemis turned the knob to her closet and let the door fall open. Inside, dark plums, lavenders, and pastels hung neatly according to color. She stood still for a while, browsing, before she pulled a black article from the closet.

“Here’s the complete _opposite_ of white! Black!” Artemis exclaimed, her tone playful and sarcastic. 

She handed the dress to Persephone, who accepted it from her in awe. It was absolutely stunning. Smooth black silk, tea-length, with thin ruffle sleeves that would create a straight neck-line and hang around her arms. She could imagine herself in it, curves tastefully exaggerated, with just enough skin showing for a work setting. Persephone grabbed the hem of her grey sleep shirt, fixing to undress, when there was a knock at the front door. Her chest tightened ever so slightly. She peered over at Artemis, who had already started out of the room with a roll of her eyes. 

_Maybe it’s Eros. Maybe it’s Hermes with the mail. Maybe it’s the door-to-door salesman that sometimes tries to sell us ‘immortal face cream.’_

Persephone quietly glided over to hang the dress on the edge of Artemis’ bed, eyes transfixed on the doorway. Sure, it was the late afternoon, but it was unlike any of their friends or regulars to show up unannounced. The only one who would do that, the only one annoying enough, was--

“Apollo!” Artemis announced, the squeak of the front door serving as background accompaniment. “Glad you could stop by!” There was a subversive tone in her words that would’ve made Persephone laugh if, perhaps, it were any other person in the world.

She wanted to hide, to crawl under the bed and squeeze her eyes shut until he was gone. A deep, hot anger flickered within her, rising into her throat like a flame. Her arms rose with goosebumps as every hair stood on end. She wanted a release. She wanted to stomp right out into the living room and bombard Apollo with every curse, every name, every thought in her head until she sobbed with exhaustion. 

There was an audible scramble, and then footsteps, until his purple face popped into the doorway.

“Persie!” he exclaimed. He began to walk quickly towards her, arms outstretched to embrace her. Persephone stood quietly as he trapped her in a bear hug. His body was stiff against hers.

_Evil. Traitor. Rapist._

“I’ve been needing to talk to you! Haven’t you been getting my texts?” She glared up at him and shook her head once.

“No. I guess I missed them,” she replied, emotionless. 

His lips curled into a cold smile. It didn’t reach his eyes. 

All Persephone could feel was icy needles, pricking every inch of her skin, making it hard for her to breathe. She craved to dig her nails into his palms until she drew golden ichor. She had to admit he had guts, showing back up after their last conversation.

“Persephone?” Artemis called from the hallway. “Do you need assistance? Is my brother bothering you?”

It would’ve been so easy to say yes, to tell her friend everything. To finally point her finger at her attacker and expose the wickedness underneath his false charm. Yet, she pushed it deeper down into herself, allowing it to fester and spread into every part of her.

Perhaps the day would come when she would finally unleash it.

“No, we’re all good in here!” Persephone finally shouted, forcing a fake smile onto her face. “We’re just talking.”

“Alright. I’ll be down the block. I’m going to grab some stuff for dinner tonight.”

Apollo stared daggers into her as she crossed the room to pick up the black dress from the bed. She did not once meet his eyes, instead focusing on her fingers trailing over the fabric.

“Have you considered my offer?” he growled.

“No,” she said simply. This time, she looked at him. “No I haven’t. And frankly, I never will.” 

He tilted his head and smiled, and pure evil radiated from his figure. The heat of a thousand suns seemed to fill the room, as sweat began to head at Persephone’s temples. After a few tense moments, he moved closer to her, stopping inches from her. She could feel his breath on her skin.

“I believe you still owe me something,” he began. “For the… _damages…_ that you’ve caused.”

“I owe you nothing. And I want you to leave.”

He laughed, an almost maniacal laugh. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

“Oh no, no, no. Dearest Persephone, you do not realize who you are dealing with.” He moved even closer, causing her to back up reflexively, further and further until her back was against the wall. “You do not realize who you have made truly furious.” He placed his hands against the wall on either side of her, trapping her in his space. _Suffocating._

“I’m afraid of you,” Persephone admitted. “But you will not threaten me with your status.”

“You’re going to be cowering in fear when I’m finished.”

“Am I?”

Apollo smirked, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. As he unlocked his phone, he made a little noise, signifying that he was seeing something on the screen.

“Persephone, do you want to see what I’ve been… creating these past few weeks?”

She said nothing. He took that as an answer and, with a chuckle, turned his phone around to show her the screen. What she saw brought vomit to her throat. She choked and slapped a hand down over her mouth. 

Pictures of her. Pictures from that night, the night of the rape, which she vividly remembered and would never be able to forget. However, they had been modified; pictures, which she remembered having clothes on for, were altered masterfully, most likely by some top-notch henchman of Apollo’s. Bare breasts, not hers, were perked up and out on display, but they looked so real that Persephone swirled with confusion. Tears welled up in her eyes. She swallowed, _hard._

“You’re a monster,” she whispered, streams now running down her face, with red vines beginning to branch out of her hair. “What do you want from me?” Apollo grinned, replacing his phone in his back pocket. 

“I want you to stay away from Hades,” he cooed, leaning closer to her. “Grandpa Winter isn’t a good influence on you, Persephone. He’s a crooked old man. You deserve someone younger, stronger, more worldly.” He trailed his fingers down the side of her face, wiping away her tears. She tasted the tinny, rancid taste of vomit in the back of her mouth. “I would treat you like a queen.”

“You’re a liar.”

“Am I?”

“And a coward.”

“I would be more careful with what you say. I would hate for something to slip out… become public.”

Persephone’s face turned pale, as if she’d seen a ghost. Finally, Apollo pushed himself off the wall, away from her. 

“I do hope you consider my offer. You don’t have to like me to be my wife,” he said patronizingly. “But you do need to learn where your place in the world is.” He started towards the door, briefly pausing to look over his shoulder at her. “Behind your husband.” 

And just like that, Apollo vanished into a cloud of purple smoke. 

Persephone silently stared into space, broken, beaten, torn apart. She walked slowly into her room next door, falling onto her bed and pulling the covers over herself. For what felt like hours in a matter of minutes, she wept, for her mother, for a friend, for anyone. When no more tears could muster, she curled up into a ball and bit her lip, trying to think of good things, beautiful things.

Suddenly, an exhaustion she had never felt before washed over her like a powerful wave. Her eyelids became heavy, pulled down by an invisible force. _Absolutely drained._

Dazed, right as she would fall into a sleep that would last until the next morning, she heard her phone auto-voice a notification.

**‘Message from Hades.’**

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
